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The problem with a good stretch of beach is that once word gets out, the word is out. You have to fight for waves or a patch of sand. That won’t happen for a while in Liberia. The West African nation was torn apart by 14 years of civil war. The country has been peaceful since UN peacekeepers arrived in 2003. But before Liberia descended into war, the country was a West African travel hotspot: five-star hotels, beautiful beaches, and a rich cultural history. Today, tourism dollars would certainly help that country with its economic recovery. But is Liberia ready to re-open for tourists? The World’s Jason Margolis had a look.
“There’s a friendly atmosphere in Liberia”
For our tour, Korkollie took me to a few historic buildings and museums. Then he took me shopping at a local market. It was hot and sweaty… Filled with commotion and interesting stuff.
“This is cassava snake.
That’s’ a snake?
Yea, that’s a snake.
So you eat that?
No you boil it…”
The snake is a cure for jaundice. The snake, the grilled monkeys, it was a bit off-putting, but, the shopping trip was horribly interesting. Our walking tour progressed to Westpoint. It’s one of the worst slums in West Africa. Korkollie asked if I wanted to see it. I said, take me where you’d normally take a tourist.
Selling grilled monkeys, market in Monrovia
“For the day, I can guarantee you 100 percent. There is nothing that is going to harm you during the day.”
Piles of trash were everywhere. The back alleys reeked of urine. And worse. War amputees hobbled around on crutches: It felt post-apocalyptic, more Mad Max than a nation’s capital. But like a Mad Max film, it was something I won’t soon forget. Though I kept wondering: Who really wants to spend their vacations seeing this?
“It’s definitely for someone that’s a little… not your average tourist, a little on the edge and kind of wants to get out there.”
That’s Seanan Denizot, the co-owner of Wow Liberia tours. She’s an American ex-pat who moved to Liberia for a little adventure herself. Denizot says, look, Liberia isn’t Hawaii, and that’s kinda the point. She says people who book her tours know that.
“They’ve tend to already traveled around Africa a lot and have maybe missed out on West Africa cause over the last 20 years, this area, it hasn’t been easy to access it. And now it’s their chance to see what’s going on. They don’t just want to see the kind of safari life that you can get in any safe African country. They really want to see something that other people haven’t really been able to experience firsthand.”
Nana's Lodge in Robertsport
Denizot admits that opening a tour company in Liberia may be premature. Business is slow. Some months they’ll only book one tour. But Denizot sees possibility getting in on the ground floor. Trendy new restaurants and small resorts are slowly popping up. And she says the natural attractions almost sell themselves.
Robertsport is – or was – the nation’s prime beach destination. There used to be a luxury hotel here, but it was destroyed during the war. Today, you can rent a cabin right on the beach. It’s like camping outside… with a big, comfortable bed protected by a tent canvas.
The place was pretty much deserted the weekend I went. Tourists haven’t really caught on yet and Liberians don’t take beach vacations.
“I have never played in the ocean throughout my whole life. Never. (I’m) Very afraid of the ocean.”
That’s 44-year old Liberian Edward Forday. He says people here are afraid of the strong current and undertow. And then there’s the negees, people who live under the water and perform witchcraft.
“The negees… Some people will say they don’t believe it. But you that live in Africa and you see what they can do. Sometimes they confess it. That yes, I did this, and I took this person under the water and this and that and all that. You believe it. Yea.”
The new RLJ Kendeja Resort in Monrovia
If you’re not intimidated by the negees, you’ve got a lot of ocean to enjoy.
“To surf by yourself, with you and your friends, or you and your brother, people spend their whole lives dreaming about doing. And to be able to come here and be able to do it by yourself is pretty special.”
On the beach, I met 25-year-old Australian Andrew James. James and his brother were spending close to a year traveling around Africa with their surfboards, hanging out and filming a documentary about the African surf. In Robertsport, they were camping on the beach, eating food from tin cans and buying the day’s catch from local fishermen. Of all the places he’s surfed, James gave Liberia the highest marks.
Surfers in Robertsport
“It’s not like being in Morocco or being in Indonesia where it’s just hundreds of surfers. And that, when it’s really developed brings its own culture. There’s big nightlife, and there’s heaps of drugs and alcohol and that sort of stuff. Whereas here, it’s just beginning, it’s so different.”
But the solitude can also be un-nerving. I went for a swim in Robertsport. No lifeguards, no other tourists, no friends nearby – my mind started to wander.
“The negees… Sometimes they confess it. That yes, I did this, and I took this person under the water…”
I don’t believe in underwater spirits, but still, I cut my swim short and got back on land. Hey, why take a risk? Negees aside, this could be a spectacular vacation spot. Problem is the Liberian government isn’t terribly interested in promoting the country. At least not yet.
After a 14-year civil war, Liberia is essentially rebuilding itself from scratch. Tourism just isn’t a top priority. Scholastica Doe heads Liberia’s Tourism office.
“We are not in that much of a rush as some of our private sector partners. For them, it’s a lucrative business; they see it booming in other countries in the sub region. And they feel that it can happen overnight once we have electricity, we have water, and the roads are fixed and everything.”
Many of Liberia’s roads look like they’ve been bombed out because, well, they have been bombed out. There’s almost no public electricity service. The country doesn’t even have a single working traffic light.
Typical pothole in Monrovia
Still, Liberian tourism is getting some glowing reviews in newspapers like the New York Times. So for the plucky traveler who wants a beach all to himself, and can brave the underwater spirits, it might be best to get there while the getting is good.
For the World, I’m Jason Margolis, Robertsport, Liberia.
Photos: Jason Margolis
More information:
Liberia Travel and Life Magazine
Nana’s Lodge in Robertsport
Wow Liberia Tourism
Kendeja Resort and Villa in Monrovia
“Thirty Thousand,” African surf documentary
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